"Hmm…"
Feeling the soft touch on her lips, Fei Xiao's eyes widened, and a blush quickly spread across her cheeks. The sudden action caused her mind to go blank, and the hands that had been tightly restraining Aether loosened.
…In the lounge.
The two sat on a long bench, turning their heads away, their faces red, not daring to look at each other.
Aether was extremely annoyed with himself. Why had he gotten carried away and kissed Fei Xiao? Now the two of them were awkward, and he had no idea how to explain it.
Fei Xiao, on the other hand, was flushed as well, her mind still replaying the intimate contact from just moments ago.
Although she and Aether had already gone further than just a kiss more than once, those times had all been unconscious. Even if she vaguely remembered what had happened, she could not recall the feeling at the time.
Aether's sudden move had completely caught Fei Xiao off guard. She had not even mentally prepared herself before being ambushed by him. As someone inexperienced in romance, she became even shyer and did not know how to react.
After an unknown amount of time, Aether took the initiative to break the awkward silence.
"Uh, Fei Xiao, are you okay? I'm sorry. I didn't consider your feelings and just…"
"It's okay. You can't entirely blame yourself. After all, we've already confirmed our relationship…"
Fei Xiao shook her head. Her fair, slender hands were clasped tightly together, like those of an innocent maiden, incredibly shy.
"Uh, let's take it slow…" Aether said after a moment of silence, noticing Fei Xiao's discomfort.
"No. We've clearly confirmed our relationship, but every time it ends up so muddled. That won't do." Fei Xiao decisively rejected his suggestion.
"I have to overcome this, just like I face enemies on the battlefield."
After saying that, Fei Xiao looked at Aether with bright eyes. Under her gaze, Aether instinctively shifted backward.
"We can't be like this every time. I need to be more proactive." Fei Xiao said, then stood up and walked toward him.
Aether continued retreating, but after only a few steps, he reached the edge of the chair, with nowhere left to go.
Watching Fei Xiao draw closer, Aether subconsciously swallowed. From her posture, it seemed she intended to take the initiative and kiss him.
A blush spread across Fei Xiao's pretty face, and in her eyes there was both determination and maiden-like shyness.
As the distance between them closed, their breaths brushed gently against each other's cheeks. Feeling the heartbeat and attraction driven by instinct, both of them slowly closed their eyes.
Creak.
Just as they were only 0.01 centimeters apart, the lounge door suddenly opened. A young man was about to walk in when he saw Aether and Fei Xiao with their backs to him, seemingly doing something only adults would do.
The sound startled both of them awake. They instinctively pulled apart, quickly creating distance, then turned to look toward the doorway.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't know anyone was in here. I didn't see anything!"
Realizing he had interrupted something, the young man hurriedly apologized, shut the door, and left as fast as he could.
"Hmm…"
Fei Xiao covered her face and bent down, looking utterly mortified.
Aether, standing beside her, was also extremely awkward and could only turn away, not knowing how to comfort her.
After this unexpected incident, their relationship, which had just begun to improve, became awkward again.
The two walked out of the gym side by side, the embarrassment of being caught still lingering in their hearts and taking a long time to fade.
"Darn it… I finally mustered up the courage…" Fei Xiao muttered in frustration.
"Ahem, Fei Xiao, it's almost lunchtime. How about we find a restaurant to eat?" Aether glanced at the time and suggested.
"Of course."
With Aether proactively changing the topic, the two quickly eased out of the awkward atmosphere and began discussing what to eat.
…"Hmph, you kept an eye on me and wouldn't let me out, so I snuck out by myself."
In an inconspicuous corner, a delivery box was slowly moving. Through a small gap in the cardboard, a pair of cunning, lively eyes darted around, constantly observing the crowd.
"Good. No one has noticed my escape yet. I'll just sneak over to the snack stalls like this."
Thus, a cardboard delivery box moved cautiously and cleverly through the area. Using the crowd, stalls, and buildings for cover, it advanced step by step until it arrived near the snack stalls in a comical yet surprisingly reasonable manner.
"Hey, Aether, this barbecue smells amazing. Shall we try some?" Fei Xiao was drawn in by the aroma and tugged on Aether's arm.
"Sure. It's been a while since I've had barbecue." Aether nodded, picked up the menu, and started ordering.
At the same time, the delivery box crept next to the barbecue stall, seemingly lured by the smell. It stopped.
"Mm! It smells so good. There must be lots of delicious food here. Let me think about what to eat…"
After Fei Xiao and Aether finished ordering, they went to find a seat, which happened to be right next to the delivery box.
"Huh? No, why do you have to sit here? Aren't there other seats over there? If you sit here, how am I supposed to get something tasty?"
The little one inside the box felt extremely dissatisfied. She really wanted to jump out, but since she had snuck out, being discovered meant being forced to go back.
"Customers, here are your grilled meats and qiongshi bird skewers. The rest are still grilling. Please enjoy."
As soon as the food arrived, the hungry Fei Xiao immediately started eating. Aether chatted with her while slowly enjoying his skewers.
"Mm… it smells so good. There are even qiongshi bird skewers. I really want to eat some…"
Inside the delivery box, the little one sniffed the aroma and began drooling uncontrollably.
"Maybe… I can secretly eat just one skewer, right? Just one."
Unable to resist any longer, the delivery box quietly shifted closer to Aether. A tiny gap opened, and a small hand slipped out, swiftly targeting the qiongshi bird skewers Aether had set aside.
"Huh? They're gone? I remember there being two more." After finishing the skewer in his hand, Aether reached for another, only to find them missing.
"Strange. Did I remember wrong?"
Puzzled, Aether glanced around and soon noticed the delivery box beside him.
"Hiss… this box looks suspicious. Who would leave a box here, blocking the way?"
Without saying anything, Aether suddenly acted, grabbing the box and lifting it up.
With the box removed, the little figure hiding inside was fully exposed to Aether and Fei Xiao.
The one inside was none other than the current Dragon Sovereign, Dragon Girl Bailu.
At that moment, Bailu was happily munching on the qiongshi bird skewer when her eyes suddenly widened. The box covering her was gone.
She looked up and met Aether's and Fei Xiao's gazes.
"Buh-oh! I've been discovered!"